


First Memories and Second Chances

by MassiveSpaceWren



Category: Avengers (Comics), Captain America (Comics), Don’t copy to another site - Fandom, Iron Man (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Amnesia, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 00:50:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19937299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MassiveSpaceWren/pseuds/MassiveSpaceWren
Summary: "How did we meet?"Bucky startles from his breakfast and freezes. Tony is sitting across from him, still focused on his plate, pushing his scrambled eggs around as if he hadn't just asked a question both inane and terrifying.---Tony doesn't remember their first meeting, and Bucky wonders if he should keep that particular story to himself.





	First Memories and Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fill for the first day of Winteriron Week! The prompt was "First meeting"  
> This is also a fill for my Bucky Barnes Bingo, for the square "Forgiveness".
> 
> A huge thank to Lore and tonylovedthestarstoofondly, who beta'd this within minutes of me finishing!

"How did we meet?"

Bucky startles from his breakfast and freezes. Tony is sitting across from him, still focused on his plate, pushing his scrambled eggs around as if he hadn't just asked a question both inane and terrifying.

It takes a moment before everything clicks into place.

"That thing with Osborn, when you ended up braindead and in the hospital... you don't remember what happened before that?"

Tony shrugs in a show of false nonchalance; clearly it’s costing a lot to bring the question up.  
"Well, I do remember things from before," he hedges. "Just nothing between the registration act and well, Osborn. I've seen the reports, the newspaper articles. And Natasha said we worked together. But there was obviously no report for that, no information about the Director of Shield secretly meeting with an unregistered vigilante."

Tony smiles ruefully and Bucky can't help but reach over and take Tony's hand in his own.

"It doesn't matter," Bucky finally says. "We're here now, and _how_ it started doesn't matter anymore."

He pulls Tony into a hug and doesn't let go until Tony is chuckling and complaining about their breakfast getting cold.

\-----

"...Tell me?"

"We met at a bar. Just two guys trying to forget their problems. I heard you order some ridiculous mocktail and looked over, and when I saw you, I knew I wanted to get to know you."

Bucky turns to look at Tony, a loving gaze he only shows the people he trusts most. Tony looks back at him with a blank face before shaking his head and huffing out a laugh.

"You're full of shit, you know that?"

Bucky uses the opportunity to tackle Tony into the pillows behind them and smothers him in kisses.

"It's a nice story though, isn't it?" Bucky says, barely pulling away enough to speak.

Tony reels him in again, smiling into their kiss.

\-----

"We met on the job, basically. We were both after the same guy, and I was impressed by your strategy. It was almost like how I would have done it. We took him down together, and I saved your ass and asked you out afterwards."

Tony sits up halfway from where he’s lying next to Bucky in their huge bed. He squints at Bucky, then shakes his head and lets himself flop down again.

"That sounds closer to the truth than last time, but I can still see through you, you lying liar who lies." Tony grins at him and snuggles closer.

They stay like that, just enjoying the moment.

"For real though. How did we meet?" Tony sounds carefully neutral, but he can't hide his worry completely, not from Bucky.

Bucky looks away and his eyes go distant as he tries to avoid the memory slipping to the forefront of his mind. The anger, the pain he'd felt after Steve was gone, and the days filled with hatred, all laser-focused on Tony, the man he blamed for Steve's death. He'll never be able to forget how he fought Tony, aimed to kill, ripped the faceplate off the armour. The view of his rifle’s muzzle, a few inches from Tony's unprotected face.

So much could have gone wrong in that moment.

"Tony... it's.... not a good memory. Maybe you forgetting it is a blessing."

"You being here with me is something I barely dared to hope for," Tony whispers. Then he snorts from where he is curled up in Bucky's arms. "With everything I heard about my time as Director of Shield, I can't imagine that meeting you was even _close_ to the worst thing that happened to me."

Bucky closes his eyes.

"I tried to kill you," he whispers.

Tony freezes in his arms and Bucky wants to take it back, to shove the words behind a locked door and never let them out.

But it's too late now.

Tony disentangles himself and for a moment, Bucky wants to keep holding on, afraid to lose the most important person in his life. But he lets go.

When Tony sits up and looks at Bucky, his eyes are soft and caring, though. He laces their fingers together for support.

"What happened?"

Bucky can't quite bring himself to look at Tony while he talks. "I was a mess after Steve's death. Blamed you for a lot, for basically everything, especially for Steve." He shakes his head. "Made up my mind that the only thing I could do about it was killing you."

Looking up, he searches Tony's eyes, afraid of what he might see there. "I'm so sorry, Tony."

Tony's hands are sure and steady as they pull him into a hug again, holding him tightly.

"What happened then?"

"It was thanks to you that we both made it out unharmed, really. Steve had sent you a letter, to tell you not to retire the mantle of Captain America, and to look out for me. So you did just that. Barely defended yourself while I attacked, tried to talk me down instead." Bucky gave a wobbly chuckle, willing himself to not cry.

"Steve told me later that making me the next Captain America wasn’t what he had meant. But you thought it was a good idea, you believed in me, even then.” Bucky looks at Tony in wonder at the memory.

"You know, you're probably in the top five of my favourite people who have also tried to kill me." Tony shrugs.

Bucky has to chuckle despite himself. "Not even top three? Do I at least take first place for people who tried to kill you _and_ dated you?"

"Well maybe. You have strong competition there."

Tony grins at him, before sobering up again. "It really is all right. I don't blame you."

"I just— I could have destroyed everything, and I'd have never known—" Bucky is pulled into another hug as he tries to take a steadying breath. Tony's scent and the reassuring weight of his arms rarely fails to calm him.

"I'm so glad you stopped me, back then," Bucky confesses.

"Me too." Tony's smile still looks a bit shaky.

"Risking my life to meet you? Absolutely worth it."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> This story is set in 616, if you want to talk about Bucky and Tony in Comics, come visit [our discord server :)](https://discord.gg/DhaPdAz)


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